Innovation District Summit Attendees Call for Inclusiveness, Events, and Personal Development

Posted by SCEDC on 5 November 2018 | 0 Comments

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Sheboygan, WI – Results from the FreshTech Innovation District summit are in. Participating in the summit were ~150 individuals representing over 100 organizations. Overwhelmingly, participants stated the Innovation District must be a world-class development. Most importantly, nearly all attendees stated the District’s culture must be inclusive, diverse, open, energetic, collaborative and engaging.

Participants were asked to provide feedback on 12 topics ranging from professional development to leadership and management, education, and lifestyle and wellness. A common theme of these conversations is the need for Sheboygan County to be more inclusive, as well as needing to provide additional networking and professional development opportunities.

Attendees were keen to point out the positive impacts of what an Innovation District could do for the area. These included changing the perception of Sheboygan County as blue collar to a more technical hub needed to retain and attract others, creating the next generation of family-owned businesses and encouraging interactions between professionals at firms allowing for cross-pollination to truly flourish.

“The event was well attended and full of enthusiasm,” stated Gary Dulmes, Chair of the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC), “Participants laid out a clear vision of what they felt the area needs to thrive. Our challenge will be to make it happen. We are excited to take the next steps in partnership with our businesses, government, schools, and non-profits. The future of Sheboygan County looks bright.”